Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

I very much enjoyed tonight’s Conservatory Orchestra opening performance of the 2013 season at the Walt Whitman Theatre — a program of Smetana, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. At $ 5.00 for any seat, it’s a VERY affordable way to hear some quality live local classical music. There was no need to buy tickets in advance since the auditorium is huge and doesn’t sell out. There are even some upcoming shows that are FREE.

A lot of school trips with my son here.

Last semester I had the pleasure of viewing a play here and it was a lot better then I expected.
The seating arrangements were somewhat tight but the crowd wasn’t so we all had ample space to stretch out. The price of the ticket didn’t come anywhere close to the worth of the performance. The play was very ethnic and I loved it, the cast was mixed raced and very believable in their roles, in short I now love plays and I mean love.

I get jealous everytime I see the Brooklyn College Campus, then go home only to think about City Tech’s. Such a downer. But anywho, over the weekend I attended a concert held in the Whitman Building and it was almost amazing.
Although it looks like a regular school building, the performances make up for what it lacks in looks.
But I must add that whoever was in control of the lighting on saturday did a magnificent job.
The auditorium was huge and seated atleast 300 people.
The ushers were very nice and helpful.
But they did look at me crazy when I asked if they had a bar. The woman said I hope you can enjoy the show without one…

While I agree with Random R. about the insanity of a «convenience fee» (let’s be serious, it’s only convenient for the theater since they don’t need to pay a box office staff) this is how nearly all venues do business now. I don’t feel it’s fair to cite something EVERYONE does as being a unique fault to this particular theater.
I’ve been coming to Brooklyn College performances for over 20 years and have seen some fantastic shows. From my childhood memories of the «Famous People Players» to the Moscow Philharmonic, all the productions have at least been worth the paltry admission fees. This is fantastic asset to Brooklyn; great for date nights or family outings.

Polina S’s review is quite accurate and I would agree with much of what she said, but would make a correction. The Brooklyn Center complex actually consists of four theatres. The largest one to which Polina was referring in her review is actually the largest of the spaces — the magnificent 2400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre. This space has recently been refurbished and is one of the most impressive and comfortable theatres in the borough in which to experience the wide variety of performances which the center offers during their concert season.
The George Gershwin Theatre is a smaller, 500 seat space that is used for some smaller concerts given by the college’s Conservatory of Music and Theatre Department. The theatre hosts all of the Theatre Department’s Mainstage Productions. While these are student productions, the quality level of these production can be quite high, after all, these students are usually poised to move out into the real world as professional actors and theatre technicians. I have enjoyed many a drama offered here.
There is an even smaller 150 seat performance space in the complex — The Sam Levenson Recital Hall. This is use almost exclusively by the college’s Conservatory of Music concerts, most of which are free. And while many are student recitals, the Conservatory faculty also give concerts here and they almost always are top-​draw.
Lastly, the New Workshop Theatre is the experimental «black box» in which theatre students do ply their craft. And while Polina is correct, these shows are learning labs and can be uneven, one can still find some excellent theatre offerings.
If you haven’t investigated this gem in the heart of Brooklyn, it is certainly worth a look-​see. With an eclectic variety of over three dozen professional concerts in the Whitman Theatre, including their acclaimed children/​family-​friendly series (did I mention at «this has to be a typo» low prices), plus the free undergraduate, graduate and faculty concerts, there is always something to please every palet. Check it out.

be aware — i have heard great things about the shows, but their online system sneaks in a per ticket service charge — they claim that it’s more «convenient» to purchase online so they charge 2.50 to 4 bucks per ticket (even for a 6 dollar show) to give customers the convenience of shopping online — who ever heard of such a thing? even if that’s the case, maybe they should state it clearly on the form and let people know they can order for «free» on the phone. this is in addition to the 5 dollar per transaction fee. spoke to the director of sales and he thinks this is perfectly reasonable — to charge the fee for convenience of the internet, and also for not stating the options clearly to customers. what a shame!

Beware undergraduates bearing plays!
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is part of Brooklyn College, and is located at the edge of its campus. Over the summer and sometimes even throughout school year, the venue hosts music and dance performances, some of which are very good. It also hosts high school graduations and, during the course of Brooklyn College’s school year, showcases undergraduate and graduate theater department productions.
Everything but the undergraduate productions takes place in the large and beautiful Gershwin Theater. It’s built like a typical music theater, with three levels of seating and a big stage along the lines of Carnegie Hall. Acoustics of the place aren’t as great as Carnegie Hall, but are very good nonetheless, and the prices are very comfortable.
The entertainment is usually very good and unusual, with lots of ethnic selections and experimental productions. Graduate student productions are often surprisingly good, though you never know what you’re going to get with those.
The other part of the Center is called the New Workshop, and is used by theater department undergrads. I’m not even sure if a non-​Brooklyn College student can get tickets to those — if not, then that’s a blessing, because most undergrad productions are understandably uneven, with everyone from actors to lighting crew still learning the ropes.